LUXURY Trip Islas del Rosario — Hotel in Cartagena

I'm reviewing my 3-day stay at the hotel (I did not do the day pass).

My partner and I are in our late 30s and early 40s. He had recently had knee surgery, and so we were looking for a place near the beach where we could have a tranquil, comfortable stay without breaking the bank. Luxury Beach Club was the perfect place for this.

Mind you from 11am-3pm it's loud and filled with tourists, but before and after, the hotel and beaches are very quiet and peaceful. There were several times when my partner and I even had the whole beach to ourselves!

The room was simple, comfortable and very quiet--we really appreciated having air conditioning in the room.

The dining areas were clean and pleasant (with the occasional adorable kittens roaming around asking for scraps). We shared a bathroom with another room, but that was never an issue, especially since every morning the bathroom was cleaned impeccably.

The staff was attentive, especially before/after 11-3pm. The food was fairly good: nothing incredible, but tasty and varied enough.

You should definitely bring cash, but it won't be the end of the world if you run out, or do not want to use it all. The hotel itself accepts cards, and an increasing number of vendors and nearby places accept them as well. Just keep in mind that there might be a fee for using a card. There are two markets in Orika, the town (about a 20 minute walk), that occasionally have an ATM-style service. These markets are also a good place to buy water, drinks, and snacks at a much lower price than at the hotel.

We avoided being at the beach during 11-3pm, when day-trippers were there. During that time there's loud music, people progressively getting drunker, and A LOT of vendors. However, if you're looking for a party atmosphere, you might enjoy that time at the beach.

During that time we explored the island. We walked to Orika for lunch (Lorreine's Crepes is good), to buy jugs of water, or coconut water, and had a lovely time exploring. At times I even walked around by myself, and in no way did I ever feel I was in danger as a lone woman. I also spoke at length with some of the locals, and they confirmed that the island is a tranquil and safe place to live. As a community they are invested in keeping their island safe, as well as attractive to tourists, since for many their incomes depend on it.

Lastly, if you have passable Spanish I HIGHLY recommend doing a tour with Guillermo. He is one of the vendors, and has a tag with his name. Vendors are not allowed in hotel grounds, so you might want to walk around the beach and ask for him. He took us on a very thorough trip to several of the islands, places of note, and snorkling on two separate sites. He knows the area extremely well, and my partner and I felt that we both gained a much greater appreciation of the cultures, communities, and ecosystems of Islas Rosarios thanks to Guillermo. The tour with him was a highlight in an already...

I originally planned to visit Bora Bora Beach Club, but it was sold out, so I decided to try Luxury Beach Club instead. It was more expensive, but the VIP package included an open bar and a day bed, so I wasn’t too upset.

Getting on the boat at the dock was a bit chaotic, but that’s typical for island tours. The boat ride itself wasn’t bad at all (I took Dramamine). On the way back, the low tide made the ride slower as we had to carefully navigate through the waters.

The food was decent, but since I’m allergic to fish, my options were very limited—most dishes included fish, and even the soup was made with fish. The open bar was just okay, but I did enjoy the piña colada. I tried just about all the drinks and I could only drink 2 of them. Also, they are small. I ended up buying a lobster from a vendor on the beach, and it was absolutely amazing. I also got a pineapple drink from a guy in the water, and it was delicious.

The vibe was great with a DJ and an amazing crowd. I met some awesome people and had a better experience than an island tour I did years ago through Viator. This time, I booked locally and paid in pesos, but I do think the price is a little expensive compared to what you get. That’s just my opinion. I would do it again if I just wanted to do a beach club and other beach clubs...

I and my wife were so disapointed. By the price we paid and the advertisements, we expected much more. It begun in the harbor: we should have a better place to wait for the boat and drinks could be included there ( at least water); we sweat so much that we were getting in bad mood. When we arrived in the island, we expectes to have better chairs to lay down. And our chairs were right next to the other bar ( so we had to listen to two differebnt songs at the same time - one from luxury club and other for the bar at our side) The sea was wonderful. The stafd was sympathic The shower was terrible: there was water pouring down from few holes... It was so dificult to refresh ourselves. The drinks were not that good The lunch was terrible! Bad food, bad quality, few options. We just ate it to support until we returned to the continent. We have already been in similar places in our countrt where we paid less for muxh...